The mission of Hawai‘i Foods is to improve the health of Hawai‘i’s people by providing food and nutrient information to assist them in making healthier dietary choices. Because the foods eaten in Hawai‘i reflect the cultural range of its people, this website contains nutrient information on foods typically found in Western, Asian, Pacific Islander, and other “local” diets. It is an evolving resource, as nutrient data, recipes, publications, photos, and other information are continually being added to the databases.

The initial conceptual framework for the Hawai‘i Foods website was developed by several members of the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) at the University of Hawai‘i: Sylvia Yuen, PhD; Alvin Huang, PhD; Joannie Dobbs, PhD; Steven Spielman, MS; Naomi Kanehiro, MS, RD; and Kathy Lu. The present website is a collaboration with the University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center (UHCC). The nutrient and recipe databases are maintained by and follow the protocols of the Nutrition Support Shared Resources at UHCC (past director Suzanne Murphy, PhD, RD; current director Carol Boushey, MPH, PhD, RD; and Donna Au, MPH, RD). Cyndy Kahalewale, MPH, RDN, LD, was the first Hawai‘i Foods Project Coordinator, and is responsible for launching the website in October 2007. The current website coordinator is Cyndy Kahalewale, MPH, RDN, LD. The My Diet feature of the website is based on the Pacific Tracker (PacTrac), which was developed by a USDA/CSREES/Integrated National Research Initiative grant awarded to Dr. Rachel Novotny for the “Healthy Living in the Pacific Islands: Healthy Pacific Child Program”. Programming and computer support for the Hawai‘i Foods website are provided by Kathy Lu. Research and verification of the scientific names for foods is provided by Eileen Herring, Reference Librarian, Science & Technology Reference, University of Hawai‘i at Manoa Library.

Financial support for Hawai‘i Foods is provided by CTAHR and by a grant to Dr. Yuen from the Vitamin Settlement Fund administered by the Hawai‘i Attorney General’s Office. In kind and other supports come from UHCC; CTAHR; the Island Fresh project of the Department of Agriculture and Hawai‘i Farm Bureau; and the Healthy Living Hawai‘i project of the Community Health Division, Hawai‘i Department of Health. The Nutrition Education for Wellness (NEW) program, part of CTAHR’s Cooperative Extension Service, provides community outreach education throughout Hawai‘i on behalf of Hawai‘i Foods.